A Broken Man
by brit02
Summary: Sequel to 'Learning to Fall'. Kenshin has finally regained his memories but now has to leave Kaoru for Japan, looking for the rogue hitokiri, Shishio. Will he lose himself to the Battousai in order to defeat this madman? KK
1. Peace

Here it is everyone! The sequel to 'Learning To Fall'! You know you're excited x)

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! This is everyone's Christmas gift from me x)

* * *

Kenshin leaned against the doorframe of the porch and smiled. He was looking at a sight that had become precious to him in this past month: the woman in front of him laughing while running after a young girl. Her long, black hair steamed behind her and her bright blue eyes sparkled. The young girl giggled and shook her head, her small pigtails bouncing against her face. Suzume's older sister, Ayame, ran after the dark haired beauty and jumped on the older girl's back. Kenshin's grin grew wider as Kaoru's eyes widened in surprise as she stumbled backward, her arms pin wheeling. Before she knew it, Kaoru was caught in the arms of a certain red-haired, ex-hitokiri.

She looked up in surprise and Kenshin gave her a small smile. _Maybe today will be the day… _He thought hopefully. But like all days before that, she merely gave him a glare and pushed away from him.

Just as her presence had become a vital part of his life, so had her scorn. She had forgiven him for forgetting her – a thought that still made him cringe and feel shame – as it was something that could not have been helped. However, she had yet to forgive him for insisting her brother was still alive. He was sure that if he had dropped the matter, she would have let it slide, blaming it on his memories which were still fuzzy at times and not truly reliable. Though, he continued to insist that Saitou was alive, well and healthy, thus turning Kaoru against him. She had finally come to terms with Saitou's death, and here he was trying to insist that the truth she had known for the past two years was false. She had yet to look him in the eyes even though they had been living in the same house for the past month.

On the bright side, Kenshin had found work in both the Aoiya and the Akabeko. Both Tae and Misao's Gramps had offered him odd jobs every day, whether it is waiting tables, cleaning the dishes or going out to the market. He came when beckoned. Relations with Sanosuke had improved and he finally had someone he could call a friend. Dr. Gensai had allowed him to stay in his abode and refused to take rent.

The only thing that weighed heavily on his mind – despite Kaoru – was Katsura's request. He missed the feeling of his katana on his hip, and both a katana and the sakabatou were in his room. Yet he did not miss the feel of his blade cutting into flesh. He did not miss the cries of men as they died, nor did he miss the blood and gore that came with being a hitokiri. Ever since the war ended – marked by lesser mob deaths in Japan and a general peace in the world – Kenshin's resolve to never kill again was further reinforced. Yet both he, Aoshi and Katsura knew that this peace could not last. This was the calm before the storm. Shishio was still at large, and neither the Ishin Shishi nor the Oniwabanshu could find any trace of him and his faction.

But Kenshin didn't want to think about that, especially on this day. It was Kaoru's nineteenth birthday, and even though she had requested a small celebration, the whole crew was there: Dr. Gensai and his two granddaughters, Sanosuke, Megumi, Aoshi, Misao, Gramps, Yahiko, Tae and Subame. Kaoru laughed while she played with the two little girls while Misao watched mischievously by the refreshment's table. Kenshin feared that the green-eyed girl might join in, and that it will end up in tears. Dr. Gensai looked on with a large smile on his face while also speaking to Megumi. Megumi paid little attention to the rambunctious girls, instead gesturing animatedly while she explained some new discovery she had made. Aoshi was sulking on the other side of the porch and Kenshin could hear Tae and Gramps arguing in the kitchen over what cake to do for the birthday girl. Yahiko was showing off to the small mousy girl, who hid a smile behind her hand.

Kenshin jumped slightly when he felt a large hand descend on his shoulder. "Hey there Kenshin. Those chips for me?" The larger rooster headed man asked, a huge grin on his face as he gestured to the plate of chips in Kenshin's hand, which he had picked up after saving Kaoru.

"No, Sano. They are for the guests."

"Come on! I'm a guest!"

"You'll have to wait until I put them out."

"That could take forever, considering you're staring at Missy there."

"I'm not staring."

"Liar."

"I'm watching out for her."

"Sure, sure. So, about the chips…"

"Do you believe me?"

Sano gave his shorter friend a strange look, his hand poised above the plate of chips. He blinked his eyes slowly, sighed, and then ruffled his hair. "Kenshin, I want to believe you. But we have gone so long thinking he was dead. Kaoru's taking it harder than I thought she would, but she'll come around. It'll be better if you can provide some proof."

"I don't know where he is, or if he even survived the war. Not many of the Shogunate survived after the Ishin Shishi won. Plus, if he had lost, don't you think he will come home?"  
Sano frowned. "That's true, but Saitou is a proud man. He will never come home and admit defeat. He also believes fully in his motto, so for all we know he may be trying to live up to it now."

Kenshin nodded solemnly, then slapped Sano's creeping hand away from the chips. He gave him a bright smile and walked away from the sulking man, who followed like a puppy after the food. Kenshin shook his head as the younger man descended upon the food as if he hadn't seen food for days when Kenshin knows that Sano had a hearty breakfast and a large lunch before. Both he and Yahiko had bottomless stomachs.

As Kenshin walked back into the house to get more chips – by the looks of it, Sanosuke will finish them before anyone will even notice that Kenshin put out more – Kesnhin heard the phone ring. Without hesitation, he picked up the phone. He knew who it was going to be.

"Katsura."  
"Kenshin. We just received rumours that Shishio may be in Japan. You will have to return immediately; I don't think he will be staying long."

"Katsura, I don't think…"

"Kenshin, you are the only one who can beat him. Both you and I know this. And I swear, after this I will not give you any more missions."

Kenshin sighed. The truth was, he knew that Shishi was a real threat. If he didn't want a massacre or a new war to start, he had to act quickly and decisively. There was no more time to dilly-dally.

"Ok, get me on the next flight to Japan."

"Thank you."

Kenshin hung up and sighed deeply before moving to his room. He gazed at his home for the past two months, and smiled fondly at the good memories, refusing to think of the bad ones. He began to pack his meagre belongings when he felt a presence behind him. He recognised her aura immediately, but refused to tur around.

"So you just heard." Misao's voice was soft.

"Yeah."

The young girl sighed. "Aoshi will be leaving in an hour. When are you leaving?"

"Probably later tonight or tomorrow."

"I want to come." He heard the resolve in her voice, and he turned around, catching her green gaze with his amber-violet one.

"No."

"I have a right to come with you! Aoshi isn't letting me come with him, but I know that I am ready! Let me come. Please."

"Misao, I need you to stay with Kaoru."

Misao looked away, but not before Kenshin saw her anger and frustration reflected in her deep green orbs. Before she said another word, she spun on her heel and marched away. Before Kenshin could think of something that he could say to encourage her, he heard the phone ring again. Knowing it was Katsura, he picked up the phone on the second ring.

"You leave on the eight a.m. flight tomorrow morning." Katsura hung up before Kenshin could reply.

Even though he knew he had little else to pack, there was one other thing he wanted to do before he left. But, before that, he decided to enjoy his last day in Maui with his friends.

* * *

Any thoughts? Comments? Criticisms? Like it? Hate it? Love it?

r.e.v.i.e.w.

please?

;]


	2. Goodbyes And Hellos

Kenshin had finished packing hours ago, and he was sitting on the porch behind the house. The guests were long gone, the two younger girls and Yahiko were asleep, and everything was peaceful. He allowed his eyes to close and he absorbed the peacefulness of the whole moment. He was about to plunge himself into something that was guaranteed to be bloody, and he wanted to remember his life here.

He ehard the door slide open behind him, and Dr. Gensai lowered himself next to the younger man with a grunt. He copied Kenshin's pose – his hands behind him as he leaned back, staring at the stars – and sighed happily.

"Today was a good day."

Kenshin nodded in agreement.

"You are leaving tomorrow." The doctor's voice was mild, as if he was commenting on the weather.

"Yes."

"To look for this Shishio person?"

"Yes."

A moment of silence ensued, slightly uncomfortable to Kenshin. He didn't know what else to say.

"What about Kaoru?"

And that was the heart of Kenshin's problem. He didn't know what to say to Kaoru, how, or even when. He's leaving tomorrow and he felt that he has to tell her, knowing full well that with her attitude towards him right now she was just as likely to slam a door in his face than give him…give him what? He almost chuckled. What would she give him, even if every comment he made weren't met by a stony glare from her? A tearful good-bye? Kaoru was too strong for that. What he would have expected her to do was insist either he not do it at all, or that she come with him, neither being good options. So, in all reality, Kenshin is better off not telling her at all.

But he wanted to so badly.

"I don't know." He answered truthfully.

Dr. Gensai gave him a sympathetic look, patted his shoulder, and walked away. Before he closed the door, he turned around to meet Kenshin's amber-violet eyes. "Good luck, and have a safe flight. Don't come back here with amnesia again," he teased.

Kenshin gave him a half smile in response. "I'll try not to." Thinking about the last time he was on a plane should have terrified him enough to not want to jump on any sort of flying contraption in a good while, but for some reason, he was eager to fly again. Eager to go home. _No, _he mentally corrected himself, _not home. Here is home. Eager to get this over and done with so I can return here. _

He was so wrapped in his thoughts he didn't hear the door open again, the soft pad falls of bare feet, not the rustling of clothes as someone lowered themselves next to him. Only the scent of jasmine alerted him to her presence.

He jerked his head up in surprise. She hadn't approached him in a month, yet she was sitting next to him as if all was fine in the world. The only indicators of her unease were the tense set of her shoulders and her hard line of her jaw. He so wanted to brush her jaw line with his fingers and wipe away that hardness, make her the soft Kaoru he knows.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence, the air seeming to get heavy with words left unsaid and with feelings too complicated to sort and fix in one night. No words can erase these feelings nor describe them.

"Kaoru…"

She never raised her head to acknowledge that he had spoken. He stood with a small sigh, about to give up, when an irrational desire to see her face filled his every cell. Instead of turning away from her, he instead went down the stairs and stood in front of her. She looked away, but he firmly grasped her chin in his hand and made her look at him. She stared at him defiantly, but she didn't look away or smack his hand.

He released his hold on her and took a step back. "Kaoru, I'm leaving."

Kaoru's face fell, her vulnerability showing clearly on her face for a second before her walls were back up. "Why? Aren't you happy here?"

"I am," he answered truthfully. He would have been happier if she hadn't avoided him in the past month, but beggars can't be choosers. "But I have a duty to uphold."

He mouth popped open. "You're going after Shishio."

Kenshin nodded, and looked away from her. He worked his jaw, trying to think of something else to say, but gave up. He instead leaned down and kissed her cheek, as a mother would to a child. "Good bye, Kaoru." He whispered then disappeared into the house.

Kaoru sat outside for another hour, her hand on her the place where his lips still warmed her cheek.

-x-

Kenshin sat up groggily, the blaring of his alarm making him curse under his breath. It was 4:30 a.m. and he had to get to the airport three hours before the flight because it was an international flight. Swiping his hand over his tired eyes, he got up and proceeded to the bathroom, where he had a quick shower in cold water to wake himself. He changed into jeans and a white button down and grabbed his duffel, took one more look at the room and the place he now calls home, and walked out of the house into the lightening darkness.

Kenshin had his head resting on the back of the seat when he felt someone bounce into the seat next to him. He cracked an eye and almost jumped out of his seat when his eyes met a pair of very familiar green ones.

"Hey Himura!"

Kenshin stared at the small girl next to him in astonishment. "Misao, what are you doing here?"

"I listened to your conversation with Katusra-san and booked a seat on the same flight as you!" She answered, a little to cheerily. Kenshin groaned and rubbed his temples. "Isn't this exciting?" Misao bounced up and down in her seat, and Kenshin stared at her in astonishment.

"How is this exciting?"

"I've never been out of the country before! And we are going to Tokyo! Tokyo! How fun!"

Kenshin was just finding out that this would be a long eight-hour flight. He sank into his seat in exhaustion.

-x-

"Kaoru?"

It was mid morning, and the teenager hadn't left her room yet, something very strange for the normal early riser. Megumi poked her head into Kaoru's dimly lit room to see a lump under her covers. She sighed and closed the door, looking into the deep brown eyes of Sanosuke Sagara.

"I think she's sick." Megumi whispered as they walked towards the kitchen. "But I haven't seen Ken yet either, so I wonder if the two are related in some way?"

"Kenshin isn't here?" Sano exclaimed, his genuine astonishment showing on his face.

Megumi frowned. "No, you don't know where he went?"

Sano shook his head vigorously. "Nah, he hasn't told me nothin'"

Megumi tapped her chin, her brow furrowing. "Strange…"

At that moment, two little bobbing heads zoomed into the kitchen, screaming and laughing.

"Tag, you're it!" Cried Ayume as she touched her sister's back.

"I'm it!" Suzume answered, giggling in glee. Without stopping, the two ran back out of the room, the younger sibling chasing the older. Dr. Gensai stood to the side as his two granddaughters sped past him, a gentle smile on his face.

"Young ones are so energetic," He said with a chuckle. "I don't know where they get so much energy!"

"It's all those sugary cereals you're always giving them." Megumi replied huffily. She disapproved of the girls eating Cocoa Puffs and Captain Crunch.

"But it makes them so happy!"

Megumi sighed in defeat. After a few minutes of silence, Megumi fixed her mentor with a stern gaze. "Dr. Gensai, do you know where Kenshin is?"

"Yes."

Megumi and Sano waited for the older man to elaborate, but he started to leave after his granddaughters without preamble.

"Wait! Aren't you going to tell us where he is?"

Dr. Gensai fixed Megumi with a mischievous stare. "You never asked that."

"Where is Kenshin?" Sano growled. He was losing patience, and if his instincts were right…damn that bastard!

Dr. Gensai's demeanor became very serious and he sat in one of the chairs. "He returned to Japan."

"What?" Screeched Megumi at the same time Sano snarled, "That bastard!"

Dr. Gensai nodded solemnly. "He knows what his duty is, so he went to perform it. Don't hold it against him."

"He should have asked me for help!" Sano started to pace in his agitation, and punched the wall, leaving a hole. Dr. Gensai shook his head in exasperation, but ignored it for the time being.

"Is that why Kaoru is so out of it?" Megumi's voice held a sliver of hurt, but her tone was gentle.

"I suspect so," The older man replied, his worry showing in his eyes. "He wanted to talk to her before he left, so I sent her outside after he told me of his decision."

Megumi nodded, then marched off to the girl's bedroom, leaving Sano and Dr. Gensai. She yanked the door open and shook the girl awake. "Kaoru, get off your lazy ass right now, you stupid little raccoon! You can't be moping around after a guy you have practically ignored for the past month! You're acting like a spoiled brat and you know it."

Kaoru sat up groggily and stared at her friend with blank eyes. She looked around her room once and then collapsed against her pillows. Megumi snorted in disgust, but her features softened when she heard the girl hiccup. She sat next to her, and gently turned Kaoru's head so she faced her. Megumi saw the fresh tear tracks trailing down the girl's face, and wiped a stray strand of hair out of Kaoru's eyes.

"Shush, it's ok. It's ok."

"I i-ignored h-h-him and I h-hated him, but I couldn't hate him, I'm sorry, I-I'm s-s-s-sorry." Kaoru buried her face into Megumi's shoulder, and Megumi patted her back comfortingly.

"I know, hunny. I know."

-x-

Sano was still pacing the kitchen like a caged tiger, mumbling under his breath about Kenshin and what he'll do to the short, red-haired bastard that he barely registered a knock on the door. Dr. Gensai gave Sano a worried look, but went to answer the door.

Standing on the front porch of his house was a tall young man, his blue jeans slung low on his hips and a black tee that stretched over his broad shoulders. As he turned to face Dr. Gensai, he ground his cigarette under the heel of his shoes.

Instead of being surprised, Dr. Gensai gave the man a wide, welcoming smile, as if he had been expecting him. "Welcome home."

-x-

Kenshin had just barely fallen asleep when he was woken up – _again _– by Misao tapping his shoulder impatiently. First it was astonishment over the touch-screen behind the headrest of the chair in front of her, allowing her to watch a variety of movies, listen to music or watch several t.v. shows, then it was the food, then it was the clouds…Kenshin's patience was wearing thin.

"What now?" He growled, his eyes flashing a dangerous amber. Misao didn't notice, just leaned over him and pointed at the quickly approaching land mass.

"Is that Tokyo?"

A large metropolitan area was sprawled under them, skyscrapers reaching towards the sky like grasping fingers, the hustle and bustle of city life clear before them. To Kenshin, this used to be his home. To Misao, it was a whole new world, vastly different from her small island of Maui. But both looked upon this great city with a feeling of trepidation; they aren't here for holiday.

* * *

So sorry! I forgot that I had posted my first chapter *runs and hides* so here is the second! Yay! I meant for this to be for MLK day, but, alas, I'm a day late. Ah, well… though I am quite proud of myself for finishing this so quickly with the amount of work I have to do! I switiched to an English major for this term and I swear every class comes with 30 pages of reading…for the next class. So yeah, not that fun. Haha. But I still love all my classes, I guess when you're doing something you love even if it is tedious you will still enjoy it!

Any thoughts? Comments? Criticisms? Like it? Hate it? Love it?

r.e.v.i.e.w.

please?

;]


	3. Return

As soon as they landed in Tokyo, Kenshin and the over-hyper Misao waited an hour before connecting to the flight to Kyoto. Throughout all this time, Misao couldn't stop saying, "Konichiwa" to everyone who passed her. Most gave her suspicious looks. The others replied with too much excitement that made Kenshin glare at them - especially because they were all much older men. _Perverts, _he thought as he watched another scuttle away.

"Himura, isn't this so exciting? " The young girl was zooming from one side of the Kyoto market place to the other and Kenshin had a hard time keeping up.

"Misao-dono, please slow down! No don't touch tha-! Oro." Misao looked at the collapsed tower of baskets and apologised, but ran off in another direction to look at the wind chimes before the old couple could respond. Kenshin approached them and bowed. "Gomen-nasai. She is very excited, ne?"

"Hai, hai." The older woman was looking at the green-eyed sprite in wonder. Kenshin smiled genially and turned away.

Misao was staring at a curious cat, somehow fascinated. "Hey, Himura! Come look at this kitty, I swear it even _looks _Japanese!"

Kenshin sighed. "Misao-dono, please calm down. We aren't here for fun and you're making yourself very conspicuous. Who ever heard of a shinobi who is seen and heard?"

"Why do you keep calling me 'Misao-dono'?" As usual, she ignored the other things he said. He blinked; he didn't realise that he had lapsed into the honorific.

"Habit."

"What does it mean?"

"It just means I'm calling you 'Miss Misao'."

"Like when you first came to Maui, but in Japanese? Cool! Ohmigosh Himura, teach me Japanese!"  
"Oro…"

-x-

The newcomer grinned at Dr. Gensai. "It's good to be home." He stepped into the house he hadn't seen in years and inhaled. It even smelled the same. He didn't notice Dr. Gensai stepping aside for him.

He heard a growling and various expletives coming from the kitchen. _Sano…_ He shook his head. He didn't even grow up: still throwing tantrums, and still bumming off of Dr. Gensai's hospitality. But where were Kaoru and Yahiko?

The man walked the halls of his old house, touching various things. He wasn't usually sentimental, but he couldn't help but feel more at ease in the place where he grew up.

He walked into Kaoru's room. He saw two women on the bed- one under the covers and her eyes red from crying, and the other rubbing her back comfortingly. It took him a while to realise the one crying was his sister; she had matured so much in the past few years! She was no longer a gangly teenager, but a woman coming into her beauty. The other he recognised as Megumi, who maintained her graceful beauty and poise. He smirked.

"Kaoru, what are you doing still in bed?"

The two women's heads snapped up at the sound of his voice, and he scowled at their looks of surprise.

"Saitou?"

"Who else?" He growled, enjoying their stunned faces.

"Saitou!" Cried Kaoru, jumping off the bed into her brother's arms. Saitou caught her and wrapped his arms around her small waist, allowing himself to be a little emotional.

"What's all that noise?" Saitou immediately recognised Yahiko's voice, and he spun around to see the young boy walk in. Yahiko stared, his mouth agape. "No fucking way."

Saitou scowled at him and snapped, "Watch your mouth," at the same time Kaoru yelled, "Yahiko!" The two siblings looked at each other in surprise before Saitou gave a rare smile.

"Yeah, it's nice to be back home."

-x-

Aoshi lowered the binoculars. Shishio hasn't made an appearance yet, but his intelligence in Kyoto said that Shishio was currently at his favourite hot springs. And his intelligence was never wrong.

Aoshi raised the binoculars again, scanning the grounds. It may be time to change position-he was in this tree for too long now. He may not have the right vantage point, especially because these hot springs had a lot of vegetation and rock formations to hide the bathers.

As he was about to lower the binoculars, Aoshi saw movement on the right. He immediately zoned in on that area and smiled to himself.

On the man's right was a beautiful woman in a red dress, her brown hair carelessly thrown in a bun and her green lipstick tracing the smirk she wore. On the man's left was a young boy dressed in the traditional hakama and gi, with a hand casually resting on his katana. In between these two was a man wrapped in bandages, like a mummy. Aoshi smiled. Target in sight.

-x-

"So, where were you all this time?"

The gang was gathered around Saitou in the sitting area, Kaoru and Yahiko on either side of him. Sano and Megumi were on the couch facing him while Dr. Gensai had his two young granddaughters lying on his lap, Suzume sucking her thumb.

When Saitou had first walked into Kaoru's room, Megumi thought she was seeing a ghost. Even when Kaoru and Yahiko were hugging him, she refused to believe he was alive and well. It took a long time of her studying him for her to realise that this wasn't one of her dreams, that he wasn't an imposter, that he was actually alive.

Sano reacted even worse.

He was already angry at Kenshin's departure that when Saitou finally walked into the kitchen, he had immediately attacked. Saitou moved with fluid grace, dodging all his attacks without returning any until they had moved out of the kitchen to out of the house. Only then did he land one kick to Sano's stomach so that Sano flew a good ten feet. Only _then _did Sanosuke Sagara accept that it was Saitou – only three people were able to defeat him in his life: Saitou, Aoshi and Kenshin. After looking at Sano with a faint look of contempt, Saitou said, "You haven't improved at all."

"And you haven't changed." Retorted the defeated rooster-head.

The fight had sobered up Saitou, and when he sat in the sitting area he had already returned to his stoic self. He turned his head to answer Yahiko's question.

"I was feeling restless here. I wanted to do more, more than I could do with the Oniwabanshu and on this small island. I wanted the war to be finished, so I faked my death and joined the Shogunate."

A silence followed.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Kaoru's voice was broken.

"Because you won't allow me to go even if I did tell you." Saitou was refusing to meet her eyes. Kaoru suddenly got up and walked stiffly outside. No-one followed.

Megumi was watching Saitou with narrowed eyes. "You couldn't have achieved that by yourself. Who helped?"

"Dr. Gensai and Aoshi. Dr. Gensai had access to the blood and I couldn't escape from Aoshi's watchful eye to effectively disappear. So I told him my plans, and told him I don't want Yahiko or Kaoru involved. I didn't want anyone to trace them back to me, so I created 'Saitou Hajime'."

"You mean you didn't want someone to use them against you." Spat out Megumi. "You wanted to ensure that your petty revenge against the Isshin Shishi would go off without a hitch; you think of them as unwanted baggage."

"I didn't want what happened to mom and dad to happen to the two most important people in my life." Saitou replied calmly, taking a sip of his tea.

"Bullshit! You just wanted to leave them behind! You were tried of taking care of them, tired of having these responsibilities! You ran away, Saitou Kamiya!"

Saitou calmly put down his teacup and then looked Megumi in the eye. "It's true that I was tired of taking care of two children who were not my own, but I didn't run away. I was trying to protect them. If I didn't change my name then the Isshin Shishi would have easily traced Kaoru and Yahiko back to me, and used them against me. They would have sent an assassin like the one who was staying with you until this morning."

Everyone froze, and Saitou lowered his teacup slowly. He met all of their eyes, and they all saw within his dark orbs a look that sent a chill of fear down their spines. Dr. Gensai, sensing the darker atmosphere, gently picked up his two granddaughters and led them out of the room.

Which left Sano, Megumi and Yahiko.

-x-

Kaoru was in her room, but she could still her brother talking. It felt so unreal. He felt unreal. Even though he looked the same, he did not seem the same. He was different, but she couldn't put her finger on it. And what about Kenshin? Was she supposed to follow him? Half of her wanted to stay in Maui where it was safe and with her brothers, but the other half yearned to follow Kenshin and tell him that she was sorry about the past month.

And where was Misao in all of this?

Kaoru picked up her phone and dialled the familiar number. It rang endlessly, ending in Misao's usual voicemail: _Hello? Hello? I can't hear you, speak louder! Ha, I'm joking. Leave me a message after the beep! _

"Misao? Where are you? Lemme guess, your phone died again. Anyways, you won't believe what happened! Call me back when you charge your phone."

Kaoru hung up, her emotions sinking. Her brother came back but was different, the guy she really liked left, thinking she hates him, and now her best friend is out of reach. Would nothing go right today?

She got up from her bed and walked down the hall, intending to return to the sitting room. She was about to round the corner, but instead of hearing chatter she heard nothing but a deadly silence. The air was so thick Kaoru had trouble breathing.

"What did the Battousai say when he was here? I need to know where he went." Saitou's voice was so low and dangerous, Kaoru instinctively recoiled from it.

"_Kenshin _was our friend. He stayed here because he lost him memory, and Dr. Gensai didn't see any harm in keeping him." Megumi's voice was strong, but Kaoru swore she heard a slight quiver in it.

"That old fool. The Battousai is dangerous even when weak. I know he was here until this morning, where did he go?"

"We don't know." Megumi's voice was definitely shaking now, but her tone was still defiant.

"You bastard! You think you can just barge in here after two years of us thinking you were dead, and you just demand information like that? What is wrong with you?" Sano's voice was so loud that Kaoru was sure that those on the beach could hear him.

"Yeah!" It was rare that Yahiko would agree with Sano on anything, but Kaoru felt a little proud that her little brother was sticking up to their older one. Who would have thought Saitou was such a bully? Then again, Kaoru knew that from the minute Saitou walked in, he no longer considered himself a Kamiya. He was already Saitou Hajime, leader of the wolves of the Shogunate. Saitou Kamiya died the night everyone thought he did.

"This is why you were left behind, Sano. You can't keep up with someone like the Battousai; you're not strong enough."

"You bastard!" Kaoru heard the beginnings of a scuffle, so she ran around the corner. Saitou had already pinned Sano down and Kaoru could see that Yahiko was about to jump on the older Kamiya's back. Kaoru ran to him and wrapped her arms around him to stop him.

"No! Stop this! This will get us nowhere." Kaoru retained her hold on her struggling and protesting younger brother, and met her older brother's eyes. "Why? Why do you want to now where Kenshin is?"

"So I can follow him."

"And kill him?" Megumi's voice was acidic.

"No. I'm currently looking for a man called Shishio Makoto."

-x-

Kenshin had finally calmed Misao down enough to have her walk (skip) beside him until he reached the place where he was supposed to meet the contact. He was slightly surprised to hear that the hotel they were meeting at was called the Aoiya, like Misao's grandfather's place, but he didn't put any importance on it. Misao was chattering off his ear when they finally reached, and he almost cried with relief. _Maybe now I can just leave her…I can't have her involved in this! _

As soon as he walked through the doors, his mouth dropped open. There, calmly drinking a cup of tea, was Misao's gramps. And opposite him was Kenshin's contact – a tall man with long hair in a ponytail, his dark eyes serious and commanding. Misao's gramps was sitting opposite the young leader of the Isshin Shishi.

-x-

After Aoshi confirmed the Oniwabanshu's information, he immediately climbed down the tree and started to walk back to Kyoto. He needed to make a plan and gather the forces he needed to act upon it.

He was not so wrapped up in his thoughts that he failed to notice the men following him, though. He continued to walk at a slow, even pace, spreading his ki so he can pinpoint where these men were and how many. He finally deduced that there were four, but one's ki was different. It didn't feel right.

He loosened the blade from the long sheath he held in his had in his hand, and in one swift motion pulled out not one, but two, blades from the sheath. He spun around and deftly blocked the cut that was aimed for his head with one kudochi while the other swung around towards the assailant's torso. Aoshi's ki flared out and he jumped back from the sword that blocked his attack, sure that the man who had blocked it would surely attack.

Instead, the young man just straightened up and sheathed his sword. The three other men faded into the trees, but Aoshi realised that they didn't move too far. Aoshi stared at the young man in front of him; it was the young boy he had seen at Makoto's left at the springs. Aoshi's ice-blue eyes narrowed as the boy gave him a disarming smile.

"Nothing less to be expected of the leader of the Oniwabanshu." The boy's voice was pleasant, but Aoshi was still unnerved by him. He could sense nothing from him, no emotions or any intent to kill. _Nothing. _

Aoshi said nothing and the young boy flicked his short brown hair out of his darker eyes. "Of course, he isn't as strong as Lord Shishio said the Battousai is. Isn't that what you swore at the graves of your men? That you will become the strongest?"

Aoshi froze. How did this young boy know about that? He had never told anyone about it, after his greatest loss against Kanryuu. Even though the Oniwabanshu had stopped Kanryuu and saved Megumi, they had lost good men that day. Aoshi had lost his men that day. He had tried every single day to get stronger so he could claim to be the strongest. He wanted the world to know that he, the leader of the Oniwaban, was the strongest. That way he could honour his fallen comrades.

Aoshi's hands tightened on the handles of his short swords, his knuckles turning white. The boy gave him a bright smile. "Lord Shishio would love to use you and your services. If you're ever interested, you know where to find us."

Before Aoshi could say anything, the boy had disappeared into the tress, and Aoshi was left to ponder what the boy had said.

* * *

Hey people! I couldn't remember the name of the blade Aoshi used, so if you would be so kind to tell me…? ^.^ Thanks! And if you saw any mistakes etc., please point them out. I didn't get a chance to edit it before I posted...I'm too eager to post it ;)

Any thoughts? Comments? Criticisms? Like it? Hate it? Love it?

r.e.v.i.e.w.

please?

;]


	4. Following

"What are you doing here, Katsura?"

The older man took a calm sip of tea before turning to answer. However, before he could open his mouth, Kenshin was shoved aside by an aggressive sixteen-year-old.

"Gramps! What the heck are you doing here, you crazy old coot?"

"To take care of you, whaddya think?" Retorted the old man.

"B-but how did you get here before me?"

"You'll never know!" Misao's gramps cackled and the two younger ones looked at him fearfully. Maybe he was crazy…

Kenshin shook his head and turned to his former master. "Katsura, what do you need me to do?"

"At this moment, the Oniwaban is lending their assistance in searching for Shishio. We are expecting word from Aoshi presently."

"And then what do I do?"

"You have to defeat him before he gathers his Juppongatana."

Misao interjected, her interest piqued. "Who are the Juppongatana?"

"They are his Ten Swords, his main followers and all are very skilled warriors." To Kenshin's surprise it wasn't Katsura who answered, but Okina. Kenshin had only every heard the man interact with his granddaughter on friendly, if absurd, terms. It was only when he finally spoke in the voice he used when he was the former Oniwaban leader did Kenshin remember that the man wasn't senile…yet. "If we defeat Makoto before he gathers his followers, we should be able to stop him from plunging the whole of Japan into a civil war."

"Wait a sec! I thought that the Isshin Shishi and the Shogunate were Japan's biggest gangs?"

Katsura looked at the young girl, a somber look on his face. "They are. We knew better than to get involved too heavily with the rest of Japan, and because it was only between the two gangs, Japan's government didn't bother with us much. But Makoto is planning a reform on a bigger scale: he wants to overthrow the Japnese government and install one of his own. He believes that the people of Japan have gotten weak, and his belief is that only the strong survive."

Misao shivered. "That's horrible." Kenshin nodded his head in agreement.

"Katsura, I have one request for you before I head out."

The leader of the Isshin Shishi nodded his head. "What do you require?"

"I need you to find a certain man…"

-x-

"You're going after Shishio too?" Cried Kaoru. "Why? Isn't he the Isshin Shishi's concern?"

Saitou raised an eyebrow. "You seem to be very knowledgeable about a world that I tried to hide from you." He drily commented, and then turned to his younger brother. "What about you? Do you know about this too?"

"So what if I do?" He blustered. Saitou sighed and without warning, punched Sano in the face.

The rooster head jumped up indignantly. "What was that for?" He shouted, covering his red nose.

"Why have my two siblings found out about something I told you that they must absolutely _have no knowledge of?_"

Kaoru could feel the amount of anger in Saitou's ki and she was sure Sano could too. "Wait, Saitou, how could you keep it from us when we live in the middle of it?" She protested, trying to save Sano's ass. "I mean, my best friends are part of the Oniwaban and…" She trailed off as Saitou turned his face to her.

"The only reason why you are here and not in Japan with our parents is because I was stupid enough to get involved with a gang without putting proper safeguards around my family. I wanted to make sure that never happened again, which is why I brought you to the Oniwaban's stronghold."

"So therefore it was inevitable!"

"Not if this idiot had killed the Battousai." Saitou said, jerking a thumb in Sano's direction.

"Why I even love him is a mystery to me…" Megumi muttered, and Kaoru giggled. The men stared at her, dumbfounded.

"What did you just say?" Sano's voice was incredulous.

"That you're an idiot, and I believe we have more pressing matters at the moment." She retorted. Kaoru was amazed. If it were her, she would have been blushing and wouldn't have the confidence to sit up as elegantly as Megumi was now. Megumi's dark eyes met Saitou's. "So if you're not here to kill Kenshin but to look for Shisho, the question is why."

"Yeah, an explanation is needed!" Shouted Yahiko.

"After the Shogunate lost, the government finally stepped in and mopped up the remaining members. Some were given the choice to join the police's ranks or prison. Because I still had a lot to settle, I chose to become an undercover policeman."

"So…you're not going to kill Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, her voice timid. She didn't want her brother and Kenshin to fight. If they did…she wouldn't know who would win. Nor who she would want to win.

"No. I have no quarrel with him or the Isshin Shishi. The Shogunate was getting too cocky to send off its best agents to assassin one man, and they deserved their defeat."

The four shared a look. To tell, or not to tell? That is the question.

-x-

Aoshi knew he had to return to Kyoto with his news. He hadn't brought a cell phone so that he could be untraceable and he was avoiding all the major highways and towns. However, instead of heading back to Kyoto, he was visiting a graveyard to the north of Kyoto. A graveyard he hasn't visited since their funerals.

"Shikijo. Beshimi. Hyottoko." Aoshi said the names reverently as he stood above their graves. "Hann'nya." He collapsed onto his knees. "I'm sorry. I have failed you…"

"Leader…" He could still hear their voices as they died for him. "Leader, live on…"

_Even though Aoshi was skilled with the kodachi, he was still no match for a machinegun. Nearly defeated, hanging onto a thread of life, he was about to give his life for the mission when his team burst through the doors. Shikijo, Beshimi and Hyottoko rushed the madman, Kanryuu, while Han'nya helped move Aoshi to a corner. _

"_Why? I thought I told you to get the Megumi woman outta here."_

"_Sanosuke has her." The man replied, his eyes unreadable under the mask. _

"_Get out of here!" Aoshi yelled, fear gripping his heart. He didn't want them to die. They didn't deserve to die. _

_As he thought that, he saw a crimson spray as the bullets sliced through his men. Shikijo. Beshimi. Hyottoko. They all fell at the hands of Kanryuu and before Aoshi could stop him, Han'nya ran to the man. _

"_Escape, leader. Live on." Those were the last words Han'nya whispered to him before dying._

_Aoshi can't really describe what happened next. Overtaken by rage and grief, he found the strength to stand up and faced Kanryuu. Kanryuu had chortled, beckoning him to come. Daring him. Taunting him. With a scream of rage, Aoshi charged at inhuman speed. Kanryuu never had a chance. _

That kid was right. He had sworn on his men's graves that he would become the strongest. He wanted the world to know the Oniwaban was strong, stronger than anyone else. He had forgotten in these last few years as he dealt with the war between the Isshin Shishi and the Shogunate, but he could no longer stand aside. He needs to prove his worth.

His icy blue eyes were set with resolve. Yes, to become the strongest, he needed to defeat one man first.

The Battousai.

-x-

"Kenshin…has gone to Kyoto." Kaoru was the one who answered. She wanted to believe that Saitou wasn't going to kill Kenshin.

"Thank you, Kaoru." His voice was tender, and Kaoru was surprised. She wasn't sure how much of her brother was still there, but by the soft look in his eyes, Saitou never forgot he was their brother. She gave him a smile and hugged him.

"Please…promise me to not kill Kenshin. I want to beat him up." She whispered, and he chuckled.

"No promises." But his voice was teasing. For a moment, Kaoru could believe that it was two years ago and they were still brother and sister, still close, with nothing like wars and gangs to get in their way. Only for a moment.

Saitou pulled away from his sister and gave the rest of the gang a nod before leaving without another word. Kaoru looked at him leave, a hollow feeling in her chest. All she could ever do is wait…

With a curse, Sano jumped up and ran after the man. "Wait, you bastard! You ain't goin' nowhere without me!"

"If you can catch up." Was the acidic reply.

"Shut up you squinty eyed bastard!"

Kaoru couldn't help but smile, and Megumi sighed. "That damn idiot is going to get himself killed." She then met Kaoru's cerulean eyes with her darker ones. "C'mon. We gotta get you packed up and ready to go."

"Wah-what?"

"You heard me. You too, Yahiko."

"Where are we going?" Yahiko asked, immediately jumping up after the two women.

"Kyoto."

"Wait a second Megumi, why? Are you coming too?"

"Because you looked pitiful just now with that woe-is-me look. Get some backbone and follow the men you love."

"Easy for you to say, miss I'm so perfect!" Retorted the younger girl.

"Who said I'm perfect? Whoever it is, they were right."

"You're infuriating!"

"And you are a savage little girl."

"Fox."

"Raccoon."

They both turned away from the other with a huff. Yahiko rolled his eyes. "Women."

"What was that?" They both yelled, hitting him on the head. He fell to the ground, nursing his sore head, as the two walked into Karou's room with their arms linked.

"Women…" He muttered again before getting up and following them.

"So are you coming with us?" Kaoru asked as Megumi piled clothes onto Kaoru's bed. "Hey, I don't need to pack that much…"

"No, these are the rejects."

"But that's practically my whole closet!"

"Exactly."

Before Kaoru could explode, Megumi met her eyes. "No, I'm not. First of all, I still have patients to attend to here, and I still have a lot of work to do."

"Oh." To be honest, Kaoru was hoping that Megumi would come. She hasn't been home in years and it would be nice to have a female companion. "What's the second reason?"

"I don't have a man who depends on me like you do."

"But, Sano…"

"He doesn't know. He's too thickheaded to figure it out, plus I don't think he's emotionally mature to even like someone." She replied, matter-of-factly. "You, on the other hand, have Kenshin."

"Are you saying that _I _have a man?" Shouted Yahiko. "Gross!"

"No, but you do have a woman, _little Yahiko._" Replied Megumi slyly.

Yahiko turned bright red. "Shut it, you old hag."

"Say that again and I will make sure that you will have red, unseemly, oozing and painful sores covering all of your body." Megumi replied sweetly, fox ears appearing. "And I mean _all over you body._" She added, giving him a steely look. He met her stare, but Kaoru could see beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"Um, so about me packing…" She said, trying to break the tension.

"Yeah, you can't wear any of this. You're too fashion backward to visit a place like Japan."

"But it's your idea!"

"Hmm, that is true. I guess you just pack what you want. I could care less."

"B-but-!"

Megumi floated out of the room. "I'll go and prepare lunch."

The two Kamiya siblings were left to stare at her back incredulously. _That fox…_the both thought spitefully.

-x-

"Damn it! I lost him! That damn bastard…" Yelled Sano. "Urgh. I guess I have to get ready to go to Kyoto, then…now…which way is my house?"

* * *

haha, I know the last part wasn't necessary, but I wanted to put in a little bit of Sano being lost. There'll be more of that to come ;) ^.^

Any thoughts? Comments? Criticisms? Like it? Hate it? Love it?

r.e.v.i.e.w.

please?

;]


	5. Japan

The flight to Japan was long and gruelling. Sitting next to Yahiko, who had a habit of sprawling out in his sleep and snoring, meant that Kaoru had less space in her already too-small seat and being kept awake with Yahiko's various conversations. So when they arrived in Kyoto, Yahiko was well rested and oh-so-very chipper while Kaoru was dragging her feet and trying to not collapse. On top of it all, she was cranky and ready to hit something. Or someone. A certain, red-haired, violet-eyed someone, to be accurate.

Kaoru assumed that Saitou had already arrived in Japan, close on the heels of Kenshin and Shishio. She had no idea where the retarded rooster head had gone after running out of her house, and she knew Megumi was back home. At the thought of Megumi, Kaoru's hand immediately went to her suitcase. In it was a cream that the older woman had entrusted to Kaoru that the young woman had used on her own bruises and other injuries, and knew the effectiveness of it. Megumi was really planning ahead and intelligently when she had given the cream to Kaoru for Kenshin. On the path he was currently on injuries were inevitable. The only one who was AWOL was Misao. The young girl had disappeared from the face of the planet. Kaoru had tried to call her twice at home and once again when they were boarding, but each time it had switched over to voicemail. Kaoru wasn't necessarily worried, but more concerned; Misao was a trouble magnet, and if she had done something especially stupid, well, Kaoru wasn't even in the same country as she to get the bright-eyed girl _out _of trouble.

Kaoru was pulled out of her musings at he sound of her brother's voice. "Hey Kaoru! Look at the shrine! Isn't it awesome?" Yahiko was pointing at an ornate wooden entrance to the shrine, which truly looked imposing but beautiful. Suppressing the urge to scream at Yahiko for disturbing the peace of the shrine, she instead found herself walking towards it. She hasn't been in Japan for many years – not since their parent's deaths – but she vaguely remembered visiting shrines with them, dressed in a kimono and surrounded by laughter and floating lights in the trees. She drifted under the wooden entrance and wandered towards the shrine proper. Kneeling in front of the shrine, she bowed her head and brought her hands up in prayer. She wasn't particularly religious, but it seemed strangely appropriate to pray now.

_Please, God, Kami-sama, anyone, please let Kenshin be ok. And Saitou. And Sano. Even Aoshi. I don't know how, but they are all involved in some new and dangerous struggle now, and I worry about them. I just want them to be safe, and not die. Oh, and look after Misao too. And that stupid fox at home. And Doctor Gensai and Ayame and Suzume. And Yahiko. Especially Yahiko. He thinks that he is grown up, but he isn't. Thank you…_

Yahiko watched his sister with a mixture between amusement and shock. She was actually praying. Who would have thought?

Both siblings were so wrapped up in their own thoughts that they did not notice the man approach them from behind.

XxXxXxX

Aoshi walked away from the graves of his men, mulling over the words of the young boy and his own beliefs. He had vowed to be the strongest man in Japan so he may honour his men's bravery, but at the same time it would mean turning against a comrade. _Maybe that's their goal. _He frowned at that thought. After all, it would make sense. As a combined unit, he and Kenshin would be a force to contend with. By having them fight against each other would be a good tactical move; weaken the enemy from the inside. The only problem with their plan was that in order for Aoshi to fulfil his vow he would have to defeat the Battousai. However, the Battousai is Kenshin. On top of that, Aoshi has seen Kenshin fight, and knows that as 'Kenshin', he is not at his full potential. Only if he were the 'Battousai' would Aoshi's vow be fulfilled.

And therein lay the problem.

Kenshin has sworn to never become the Battousai again and give in to his more violent, past self. Thus, Aoshi has no opponent.

And that is where Shishio miscalculated.

XxXxXxX

"Why did you want to find this man? He is just a hermit pottery-maker with a bad temper." Okina said as he handed over the address to Kenshin. "I do not see how you will benefit from going to him."

Kenshin gave the older man a wry smile. "I don't see it either, that I don't. I will probably come out of it knowing less. However, there is a possibility that he can teach me how to defeat Shishio and the Battousai."

Okina fixed him in a grave stare. "Are you sure about this? I thought you had said that you completed your training."

Kenshin was shaking his head before the older man finished the sentence. "I left before I could. I hope that he will allow me to return."

"What do I tell Misao?" Okina was no longer looking at the red-head, but at the garden in the pre-dawn light.

Kenshin shrugged. "I will either be back by this afternoon or by the end of the week. If she gets obstinate, tell her I am on a mission. If she presses after that, tie her to a chair and gag her."

Okina laughed, holding his sides. "Oh, I never thought I will ever have a conversation with the Battousai like a civilised human being, nor that he would know how to handle my granddaughter so well."

"Fate is a strange thing."

"Do you really believe that?" Okina's voice was unnaturally serious.

"What? Fate?"

"Yes."

Kenshin paused before answering. "I don't want to believe that our lives have been planned out for us. If that were the case, then how do I justify all the blood I have spilled only to change my path after becoming a totally other person? At the same time, I want to believe that there is someone or something out there that actually knows what it's doing, as opposed to us mere humans."

A comfortable silence fell between the two men, both contemplating their places in the world we are all thrown in. Kenshin sighed, and picking up the small backpack filled with things he assumed he would need – the sakabatou strapped around his hips – got up and shook Okina's hand. "Thank you for everything. See you in a few days."

"Make sure to come back before Misao follows you."

Kenshin smiled. "I'm not a miracle worker. I can't complete this in a day."

Okina shook his head and waved the man good-bye as their possible saviour walked on his path. Whether his path was predetermined or by his own choice, we will never know.

XxXxXxX

Kaoru raised her head in time to hear Yahiko's surprised yell. She spun around, instantly on alert. She gasped at the sight that greeted her: Yahiko grasping his bleeding arm while a man with ridiculous, Johnny Bravo hair held a blood stained sword. Kaoru's vision turned red.

She marched towards the man, ignoring Yahiko's cautionary screams. "You – _dare _– harm my brother?" She hissed. The man had an idiotic smile on his face as he held his sword casually.

"I need to get that there sword in the shrine and y'all were in m'way."

Kaoru ignored him, striding even closer to him. She didn't even look at his sword, which was dripping with her brother's blood. "It seems you didn't understand me, broom-head. You. Hurt. My brother. Prepare to die."

The guy laughed. "You missy? Don't make me laugh."

Kaoru was now close enough to the man that if he flicked his sword up from its position, it would nick her. However, she kept walking towards him with such a murderous intent, that he took an involuntary step back.

"Hey, you're not serious, right? C'mon girly, I don't wanna hurt ya. Back away afore I'm forced to use this on you."

Kaoru did not even heed his words and just continued to walk towards him. "What's your name?"

The completely normal question in such an abnormal situation made the man pause. "Chou."

Kaoru was now within touching distance of Chou, so she poked him in the chest. "Chou, what right do you have in coming to a shrine, a holy place, a place of prayer and worship, and attack someone without any reason whatsoever? Huh? It was the biggest mistake of your life."

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't go putting this on me. I'm just a sword collector, plain and simple. The kid was in my way, and now you are. I don't wanna hit ya, but you leave me no choice…" At his words, he lifted the sword so as to do a downward slash.

As his sword descended on Kaoru, Yahiko yelled and rushed to his sister's aid, but it was too late. The sword was already in its deadly arc, and Kaoru would be clove in two.

XxXxXxX

Sano had successfully navigated the airport (thanks to the help of an old lady and a few airport attendants) and arrived in Japan with hardly any incidents, unless you count him getting into a little spat with the guy next to him as an incident.

So now Sano stood outside, backpack slung over his shoulder, with absolutely nowhere to go. While he had meant to go straight to Kyoto, he had somehow booked a flight to Tokyo. The hustle and bustle of the airport was enough to set him on edge, and he refused to fly to Kyoto. _Plus, how far can Kyoto be? I bet I can just hitchhike there. Maybe… or a taxi. _

And that is how he had ended up in the wilderness of Japan, without a compass or map, or any way of finding his way to Kyoto. Sano didn't know how he had accomplished getting so thoroughly lost, but he was now without a road in sight. He remembered hitchhiking with someone who had dropped him off at the side of the road in the middle of flippin' nowhere, assuring him that it was Kyoto. Either, a) Sano's Japanese was crap, or b) the man's English was crap.

"Shit."

XxXxXxX

Kenshin knew his master was pretty solitary, but an hour and half from any form of civilisation? Now that was taking it to extremes. Plus, it was in the mountains, which meant it was cold. Kenshin can see that this was going to be a fun trip.

He knocked on the door of the small hut, which, he noticed, was without a heater or enough room for two, and waited an answer. Instead, he felt an attacking ki from behind and before he could process the thought, he had whipped the sakabatou out of its scabbard and spun around to meet the attack.

"Very good, my baka desshi. Nice to see that you haven't gone completely rusty." Came the booming voice of his assailant. The man behind him was larger, with broad shoulders and a ridiculous red cape draped majestically over them. He was in a white t-shirt and jeans, and except for the cape and sword in his hand, he looked like a normal human being. Which he was not. Kenshin could testify to that fact.

Hiko brought his sword from his attack position and instead sheathed it. He walked past Kenshin into the hovel, expecting Kenshin to follow him. Kenshin sighed. No matter how many years have passed since he had last seen his master, Hiko looked the same as ever. _I wonder, _he mused to himself, _do I look the same? _At this thought, he paused and looked at himself in a puddle of water. Even though the water distorted his image, Kenshin immediately identified that he, in fact, did not look the same. Yes, his physical features were the same – he was still a small man, with bright red hair and violet eyes – but there was something different in the way he held himself, with the shadows that lingered in his violet-gold orbs. He had seen many horrific things and committed horrendous deeds. No, he was not the same, idyllic teenager he was.

"Aren't you coming, baka desshi?"

"Hai shishou." And Kenshin obediently traipsed into the small home after his master.

* * *

**Ok, so I'm writing this at 3 am and without internet. Couldn't remember if Chou (Chou, right?) had a Texan accent, but for some reason I keep imagining him with one. **

**Any thoughts? Comments? Criticisms? Like it? Hate it? Love it?**

**r.e.v.i.e.w**

**please?**

**;]**


	6. Blood, sweat and tears

Kaoru didn't even balk as she saw the sword descending upon her head. Years of training kicked in, and even before her brain could send the message to her body, she was already positioned. Her feet were slightly separated and bent, and her arms came up in the _Hadome_ position- her arms crossed above her head and catching the sword with the backs of her hands. She then moved into the _Hawatari_, twisting her wrists and disarming the man. The sword flew up in the air, and Kaoru caught it as it started falling by its handle.

Chou's surprised look was priceless, but Kaoru didn't enjoy it. Her bad mood had progressed to worse, and she was at her breaking point. This man was testing her patience. Soon, Chou's face turned from one of surprise to a smug smirk.

"Hey, hey, ya got ma second favourite sword there, missy. Now, unless ya want to be dealin' with ma favourite one, I suggest you give it back ter me."

Kaoru lowered the sword in front of her in the Kamiya 'ready' stance. She was exhausted, and the sword was heavier than her normal _bokken. _She really didn't know what she planned to do – especially because she got physically ill when she thought of killing someone – but this bastard had hurt her brother and was planning on hurting her. She would turn this steel monster into a tool of protection.

Chou's look of amusement disappeared into a scowl of disgust. "Ya really think you can use that against me? Yer arms could barely hold it up!"

"C;mon Kaoru! You can do it!" Yahiko's cheer gave Kaoru a little more courage and assurance. So her answer was just to stare him boldly in the eye, daring him to say anymore.

Chou sneered and started to strip. Even though Kaoru was puzzled, she never allowed the expression to form on her face. Until she saw the thing wrapped around his waist. His whole waist was wrapped with a sort of flexible steel, which he started to peel off with a gleeful expression. Kaoru had never seen such a katana before, and, judging by Yahiko's silence, neither had he.

After Chou had finished unwrapping the strange sword from around his waist, he gave the siblings a feral grin. "Alrighty girly, let's see what you got."

He started whipping the sword, and the sword moved fluidly to his direction. With every flick of his wrist, it moved closer and closer to Kaoru, and she was forced to retreat. The movements of the strange katana were unpredictable, and there were many times when Kaoru barely brought up her own katana in time to block it. However, thin slices were starting to appear on her bared arms, and she had not moved her head fast enough to dodge a swing at her face. Warm blood trickled down her left cheek, and Kaoru felt herself tiring fast. She couldn't dodge forever, but how could she defeat something that didn't allow her to get close enough to him anyways?

XxXxXxX

Sano was lost in a foreign country where the only words he knew were related to food. Being lost wasn't a new occurrence for him – he got lost all the time – but usually he would call Aoshi and the man would bail him out. However, his flippin' phone had _absolutely no service. _

"What the fuck!" He yelled, throwing his phone at the nearest tree, and for good measure, punching the tree too. Infuriated with the whole world, he began felling every tree nearby with his massive strength.

"Not strong enough my foot," He muttered. "You see that, Saitou! You squinty-eyed bastard!"

"Strength is not determined by physical prowess."

Sano spun around with a yell of surprise. "Who the hell are you?"

The bulky man in front of him sighed as he opened his black-rimmed eyes. "Names are not important. You disturbed my meditation. Now I have to either move or get rid of the disturbance, and honestly, I really like this spot."

Sano scowled. "Listen, monk. I don't know much about any sortta religion, but I think that a monk offing people is wrong."

The man cracked his knuckles and shook his head. "Too bad for you; I'm not a monk any more."

A grin broke across Sano's face. "Well, if that's the way it's supposed to be, bring it."

The monk's eyebrow raised. "You are a curious one, prone to using violence to solve his problems."

"So what? You gonna fight me or not?"

The man sat back down on the rock he was originally situated upon. "No."

"And why the hell not?"

"Because I do not want to give you the satisfaction of dying by my superior technique."

Sano interest was piqued. "What 'superior technique'?"

Without opening his eyes, the man punched the nearest tree. At first, it did nothing, but then with an explosion, was totally destroyed. Sano's eyes rose into his rooster-hair.

"That is the _Futae no Kwami._"

Sano's eyes were bright with excitement. "Old man, you gotta teach me that!"

The monk opened one eye. "Why should I?"

Sano fell to his knees in front of him. "I want to get stronger and stronger so I am no longer a burden to my friend."

The man shook his head. "Not good enough." Sano scowled, but before he could say anything, the man continued with a question. "What are your views on the past war?"

"It was useless and wasteful, and caused many deaths. All it created was fear and separation and sadness."

The man's head tilted on the side as he regarded Sano with both eyes open. "You are not as you seem," He muttered. "I will teach this to you-" Sano's face lifted. "-but, if you do not master it in a week, I will kill you."

Sano stood up in triumph. "No problem! I can do it three days!"

The man raised an eyebrow. "Fine. But if you do not master it by then, you will die by the technique you are so willing to learn."

Sano nodded, his face sombre. "Teach me."

The man looked at him one more time before slowly getting up from his lotus position. "Look carefully." Once again, he punched a tree nearby. Sano did all he could to see what he did extra, but his eyes couldn't catch it; it only looked like a normal punch.

Sano shook his head. "I didn't get it."

The man grinned. "I don't expect you to. What I do is punch first to neutralise the hardness, then punch again quickly, thus destroying the target."

Sano grinned. "That doesn't seem so hard."

The fallen monk raised an eyebrow. "It took me years to master this technique. It's harder than it seems." He walked back to his rock, and then punched it, not with his right hand, but his left. The result was the same if he had hit it with his right. He then hit the nearest tree with his elbow, and the tree behind that with his leg. They all exploded into pieces. The large man stared at Sano with solemn, black-rimmed eyes. "Three days."

XxXxXxX

Kenshin sat in silence as he watched Hiko painstakingly prepare tea. He did it the traditional Japanese way, with careful and precise motions.

"Shishou…"

"Do not interrupt!" He yelled, causing Kenshin to lean back a little. "This is supposed to be a silent and peaceful ceremony."

Hiko continued as if nothing had happened, and Kenshin felt as if he was a fifteen year old again. Only when Hiko finished, he turned the bowl in his hand and slid it over to Kenshin. Kenshin picked it up respectfully, turned it in his hands and took a careful sip. He then placed it back on the floor and bowed to Hiko, who bowed back. Having observed the requirements for the ceremony, Kenshin immediately launched into why he had come back, starting with the plane crash and until he arrived in Kyoto.

"So you see, Shishou, I need your help. This humble one beseeches you for your help." At this, Kenshin bowed at the bigger man's feet. In response, Hiko threw a bucket at Kenshin's head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"A student of mine has to do the chores! Get me some water now!"

Rubbing the back of his head, Kenshin got up wearily. There are just some people who never changed.

XxXxXxX

Misao was skipping down the streets of Kyoto, totally enjoying herself. She loved Japan! She never understood why Aoshi-sama (something she had just learned and resolved to call his thus forever) or gramps ever brought her here before. Sure, there was that whole war thing going on, but she could handle herself! She was able to sneak out of her room without her grandfather even knowing. That took true skill!

Plus, she had a great sense of direction. She knew she wasn't going to get lost, and after taking a few hundred Yen from her gramps' wallet (and her trusty kunai tucked under her clothes), she was set for the day. As she skipped down another street, a large gate on her right caught her attention. Curious, she walked towards it.

"A shrine!" She nearly screeched, clapping her hands. Excited, she ran to the top of the stairs, hoping to see fortune-tellers and wanting to light incense, plans swirling around in her mind a mile a minute.

However, the sight she was met with was not one she had expected.

Yahiko stood off on the side, holding a bloody arm. There was a puddle of blood under his dripping arm, and he was swaying slightly. Misao knew that from the amount of blood that he already lost – and still losing – that he would pass out soon. However, his dark brown eyes were intent on the fight before him. And even though Misao understood the importance of getting Yahiko to a hospital soon, she knew that she couldn't take Yahiko and leave Kaoru.

To say that Kaoru looked like crap was an understatement. She had large bags under her eyes and her hair was released from is customary ponytail. Her arms were shaking with effort to hold the large katana in her hand, and she had numerous cuts littered all over her body and clothes. Dried blood caked her left cheek, and her normally calm cerulean eyes were starting to look desperate. The worst thing was that her opponent could sense it too.

The man she was facing was tall, with ridiculous blonde hair and a ferocious smile on his face. Misao could tell that he enjoyed slowing battering at Kaoru's resolve and seeing her weaken before his eyes.

"Hey! Broom-head!" She yelled, advancing on him while throwing two kunai at him. He had barely enough time to flick up his sword-whip and block the second kunai, but the first one grazed his cheek, giving him a mirror-image cut as the one on Kaoru's face.

"Misao! What are you doing here?" Yelled Kaoru, her face a mixture between hope, bewilderment and fear.

Misao winked at her. "Don't you know that the hero comes in the knick of time?"

Kaoru shook her head vehemently. "Get out of here! Take Yahiko somewhere safe!"

Misao ignored her best friend, instead pulling out five kunai and throwing them rapid fire at the man as she advanced on him. "We can defeat him together, c'mon! You gonna keep talking?"

The man growled as he blocked the kunai with a flick of a wrist. However, he failed to see Kaoru start to attack him on the other side, and with a punch in the gut with the handle of his sword, Kaoru forced him to his knees.

"Bitch," he snarled, but before he could get up, Misao kicked the back of his head. His eyes rolled up into his head and he slumped forward to the ground.

The two best friends high-fived each other.

"How's that for teamwork?" Crowed Misao triumphantly.

Kaoru grinned in response, but a low groan behind her caused her to turn around to her brother. "Yahiko!" She ran towards him and Misao followed, her face grim. Yahiko had fallen to his knees and his face was ashen.

Kaoru dropped to her knees in front of her younger brother and held his face in her hands. She didn't seem to care that her jeans were getting soaked in his blood. "Yahiko, Yahiko, stay with me. We'll get you to a hospital soon."

"What about him?" Misao jerked her thumb in the blonde man's direction.

Kaoru didn't even glance at him. "Just leave him, he's not important."

"I'll be taking him."

Misao immediately recognised the man's voice. But…how was it possible? He died years ago! She turned around slowly, and sure enough, there was Saitou Kamiya. He had the fallen man over his shoulders, the man's two katana in his hand.

"But…how?" She sputtered, her green eyes wide.

"Where were you the whole time? I knew you were around. Why didn't you help Yahiko?" Kaoru's spiteful voice shocked Misao, but not more than the actual words.

She looked at her best friend. "You knew he was alive? When?"

Kaoru's blue eyes were shooting sparks, but they softened when she looked at Misao. "Yesterday. I tried to call you, but you didn't answer."

Misao's mouth twisted up into a half-smile. "I guess we have some catching up to do."

Kaoru nodded, but then she turned her hard eyes back to Saitou. "Why didn't you at least take Yahiko somewhere safe?"

Saitou sighed. "For one thing, he would have refused. Even if he had fainted, he would have stayed to cheer you on. Also, I figured you'll finish it up quickly enough to tend to him yourself. Chou was an easy target, one of the weakest of the Juppongatana."

"So you used me."

Saitou's face softened. "Kaoru, if I didn't think you couldn't handle it, I would have stepped in. you have become much stronger in the years I have been away."

"That doesn't change the fact that you used me!"

"It was just chance. I was tailing him, but lost sight of him. By the time I realised where he was heading, you had already engaged him. In truth, I have only been here for five minutes."

Kaoru scowled at him. "And if he had killed me, what then?"

Saitou's eyes became steely. "I would have never allowed that to happen. Now, if you excuse me, we'll have time for our own reunion later. Ja."

Kaoru sighed wearily, but turned her attention to her younger brother. "We gotta get him outta here, now."

Misao nodded. "Let's take him back to the Aoiya."

Kaoru gave her a strange look. "Misao, I don't think we have enough time to go back to Maui."

The younger girl gave her a mischievous smile. "The Aoiya _here, _you dork. It's closer, and we have medics there too."

Kaoru nodded her head and draped one of Yahiko's arms over her shoulders. Misao did the same on his other side, and between the two women, they dragged the young blood-stained teenager through the street of Kyoto.

* * *

Any thoughts? Comments? Criticisms? Like it? Hate it? Love it?

r.e.v.i.e.w.

please?

;]


	7. Day Off

Sano was beginning to get desperate. No matter what he did, or tried he could not do the second punch fast enough. All he had to show for his efforts was a bruised and battered right hand and a few shattered rocks. Shattered – not demolished. It was infuriating and disheartening at the same time.

And it was plain old _disturbing _when the ex-monk just _stared _at his attempts.

"What?' He snapped, when he once again failed to turn the stone to dust.

The monk shrugged. "You know one day has passed?"

"Yes, and you have not fed me at all. I'm famished." Sano retorted, holding his grumbling stomach.

The monk held out the steaming plate of food in his hand. "You failed to ask me."

Sano's mouth immediately began to drool and he walked, zombie-like, to the monk's side. He descended on the food like an animal, and within seconds, was holding his hand out for more. The monk laughed as he refilled his student's plate. "You're really something else," the bigger man muttered.

"Wha didja you say?" Sano said between all the food in his mouth.

"You have food on your chin."

XxXxXxX

Kaoru paced outside Yahiko's room, unsure of what she should do. Even though Misao's gramps said that he was all right, Kaoru couldn't help but fret. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see her friend's very concerned face. "Kaoru, I hate to be the one who tells you this, but you stink." As usual, Misao got straight to the point.

Kaoru looked at herself and grinned ruefully. She was in the same blood-stained clothes that she wore yesterday, the same clothes that she had travelled in. "Yeah, but I can't leave Yahiko."

Misao sighed. "He's sleeping. He didn't loose as much blood as we had feared, and with a little rest, he'll be fine. But with you worrying over him, he won't be able to rest. Kaoru, you haven't slept in two days, ne? Go and take a nice bath and then sleep."

"But-"

"No buts!" Yelled Misao, pushing Kaoru out of the hallway, the building and then into the bathhouse. She locked the door. "I'm not letting you out for another hour!"

Kaoru banged on the door, but she knew that she was not going to be let out. She sighed and looked at her surroundings. It looked like a traditional bathhouse, the one where you had to wash yourself before entering the baths. Kaoru saw a pile of towels and brushes neatly stacked to the side, and she stripped quickly. The promise of a hot bath was too much for her to resist.

After neatly folding her clothes and wrapping a towel around herself, as well as dealing with all the pre-bath necessaries, Kaoru walked to the bathroom. She looked around quickly to ensure she was the only one in, and she cautiously slipped out of her towel. She then sank into the steaming bath with a content sigh.

Leaning her head back, she allowed herself to relax. Her eyes drooped shut, and she soon drifted off into the land of her dreams.

XxXxXxX

Kenshin had forgotten how much of a slave driver Hiko could be. The man had him doing his chores all day long, and not a whisper of training had been made. He had hoped that when he came back, Shishou would just jump into the training. But no, the man had to re-start from scratch.

_I wonder, is he going to go through all the basics with me too? _Kenshin thought as he weeded Hiko's herb garden.

The answer was yes.

Kenshin wanted to groan aloud when Hiko corrected his perfect stance _yet again_. They both knew that Kenshin was in the proper beginning stance, not a hir out of place. However, Hiko, apparently for old times sake, kept bashing Kenshin on the head while screaming, "Baka desshi!" at him.

Kenshin knew there was more to him running away than wanting to actually use his skills.

"Would you stop it?" Kenshin finally yelled at Hiko. He softened his tone, continuing, "I know my basics. Please, Shishou, I want to continue with my training."

"Training always starts at the basics!" Hiko spat back.

Kenshin sighed, and settled back into his starting position. He smoothly slid his katana out of it sheathe, and fell into the rhythm of the first kata he learned, but he was working with his own sakabatou instead of a bamboo stick.

After he had completed them all, he took a deep breath and calmly slipped his sakabatou back into its sheathe. He then looked at Hiko, who was surprising quiet the whole time. Kenshin raised a red eyebrow. "So…?"

Hiko unfolded his arms. "Well, it's one thing to know the routine. Now, let's see what you can do."

Kenshin has sparred with Hiko many times. He had the scars, bruises and fractures to show for it- as well as a healthy fear of his Shishou. However, that was all with a bamboo sword or, at most, Hiko's sheathed sword. Kenshin has never fought against his master when Hiko has unsheathed his blade. The one and only time Kenshin had seen his master take his blade out and use it was the day they had first met. They both understood the risk of Hiko fighting with an unsheathed sword against his apprentice; if Kenshin was a beat slower in defending, he would die. Unlike what Hiko suggested most of the time, Hiko actually wanted Kenshin to _live_.

Hiko stood opposite to Kenshin, his hand resting on the hilt of his katana. They both sank into the 'ready' position, and started evaluating the other. Kenshin knew what his master saw: a slim, young man, who had little strength and average speed. Hiko had trained Kenshin and probably knew him better than anyone else. Unless Kenshin went Battousai on Hiko, he might die.

Kenshin looked at his Shishou with new eyes. Tall, broad shouldered, Hiko obviously radiated strength. Not only that, but this big man had the speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi style behind him. While Kenshin felt he could match his master for speed, when their blades meet, he knew he would lose against him because of his inferior strength. So, how could he beat an opponent who is better?

Kenshin strengthened his resolve. If he didn't win against this man, then he would never learn the final technique and defeat Shishio. He would not be able to protect Kaoru.

Hiko kept Kenshin's gaze for a heartbeat more, then relaxed. Kenshin gave his master a perplexed look, but didn't move. Hiko laughed at him. "Calm down, I'm not going to attack you. I wanted to test your resolve. We all know that I will beat you in a fight- I wanted to see if you would recognise that and go past your fear and not give in to it. Congrats, baka desshi, you passed."

Kenshin looked at Hiko suspiciously, but it was only when Hiko turned his back to him and walked back to the cottage did Kenshin actually relax. He followed the large man into the small space.

"Shishou, now that I passed your test, are you going to continue teaching me?"

"Yes. After you fix the roof."

Kenshin sighed. He bowed to his master and went in search of a ladder.

XxXxXxX

Aoshi sensed her aura, but he was still shocked when Misao popped out of the room next to him.

"Aoshi-sammmmmaaaaa!" She cried as she tackled him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Misao?" His tone indicated his surprise. "What are you doing in Japan?"

She gave him a mischievous grin. "I came to help."

He looked around her to her gramps, who just shrugged. He shook her off and held her by her shoulders. "You should leave."

She pouted and crossed her arms. "I came all the way to be with you, and you're sending me away?"

Aoshi's face was grave. "It's not safe for you, Misao."

She threw her hands into the air. "I am tired of everyone treating me like a child! I'm not a kid anymore! I can take care of myself! You guys need to stop protecting me! Plus, if I have to go home, so do Kaoru and Yahiko."

Aoshi's dark eyebrows rose into his bangs. "They're here too?"

She nodded glumly, her bright mood forgotten. 'They came to follow Kenshin and Saitou."

Aoshi felt his knees weaken. How many times was this girl going to shock him in a few minutes? "You also know about Saitou?"

Misao's bright green eyes showed the depth of her betrayal. "You knew?" The question was soft, but Aoshi heard it as if she had shouted it.

He took her hand but she snatched it away. He sighed, and held his hand out again. "Come, allow me to explain."

She looked between his hand and his sincere blue eyes. She cautiously placed her hand in his. He wrapped her small hand in his larger one and pulled on it until she followed him into his room. When they entered, he closed the door firmly behind him and dropped his leather jacket on the back of the nearest chair. He then settled in on the sofa opposite Misao and sighed. "Just know that I kept this a secret for your own good," he started. She nodded quickly and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Saitou came to me one night with a crazy plan. He was nervous, and restless. He wanted to go back to Japan and take revenge on his parents. I asked him about Kaoru and Yahiko, and he said that they were old enough and that they were survivors.

So I assisted him. I knew I couldn't stop him, and I made him promise me two things: one, that he would send me information on how the war was going. Not as a double agent, but more as an informer. Secondly, I made him promise that if he felt that the Shogunate was about to lose, he would drop out quickly and return home at the end of the war. He kept one promise, however months late it may be, it seems."

"But why didn't you at least tell me? I understand why you didn't tell Kaoru; she needed to believe he was dead. But why not me?" She had tears in her eyes, and Aoshi wanted to make them disappear. He didn't want to see her cry.

"Because you may have spilled the truth to Kaoru. I'm not blind. You and Kaoru share everything."

Misao looked away, and Aoshi saw a tear slide down her cheek. Before he could think about it, he leaned over and quickly wiped it away. She looked at him with wide eyes and he smiled gently. "If we could have done it any other way, we would have. We wouldn't hurt the ones we love so much if we didn't think it was necessary."

She gave him a weak smile. "Still hurts, though."

He abruptly pulled away, unnerved at how their close proximity. Misao was his ward, and a few years younger than he. He should not be feeling, or even saying, these sorts of things to her. Yet the words had spilled off his tongue without his control.

"Shishio is preparing his attack on Kyoto." Aoshi announced, not looking at the young girl.

"How do you know?" By the sound of her voice, Aoshi could tell she was back to herself.

"I was spying on him. He tried to turn me against Kenshin." At her concerned look, he grinned. "Tried. He did not succeed. It means that he fears Kenshin and that his plans are started to finalise; that's when plans tend to get the most delicate. We should attack now, and hard." He frowned at her cheeky smile. "What?"

"You said 'we', not 'me'. You're including me on this, aren't you?"

He scowled at her. "Of course not. When I say 'we', I mean Kenshin, Saitou and I. you, Kaoru and Yahiko are going back to Maui."

Misao glowered at him. "You can't do that to me! I told you, I can take care of myself."

"That's what worried me, Misao!" He yelled back. "You may think you can take these people on, but you can't. These are not the people you train with; they're cold blooded killers."

She crossed her arms. "I went against one of them already. They're called the Juppongata, right? Well, Kaoru and I defeated the broom-headed one."

He stared at her quizzically. "What?"

"Yeah, yesterday. She and I beat the guy and Saitou carted his sorry ass out of there."

Aoshi looked at her suspiciously, but went to his desk. He pulled out a file and flipped through the pages in it until he found the one he was looking for. He showed Misao a picture of a blonde-haired man with a cocky grin. "Is this the guy?"

Misao looked at it quickly and nodded. "Yup, that's the one."

He frowned at her, thinking up another excuse. It was impressive that the two girls had defeated a Juppongata member, but at the same time, Chou was one of the weaker ones.

"Plus, Yahiko is recovering from a wound he received from Chou. He can't move yet. So we can't leave." She added with a smug smirk.

Aoshi sighed in defeat. He wanted to argue more, but he had run out of excuses. He also needed all the people he could spare. "Fine. You can stay." Misao squealed in excitement, and he silenced her with a glance. "But, you, Kaoru and Yahiko stay here. You will protect the Aoiya."

She nodded and saluted him. "Yessir, Aoshi-same, sir!"

"And drop the 'sama'. It makes me feel old."

* * *

Thoughts, comments and criticisms appreciated! Tell me if you liked it, hated it, or loved it! Thanks :]

r.e.v.i.e.w.

please?

;]


	8. Too late

Kenshin once again found himself squaring off against his master, and he, once again, had to find the deep-rooted resolve in him to fight Hiko Seijuurou. But this time, his master had told him to stay _absolutely still. _

How Kenshin was going to achieve that when this large man came barrelling towards him, sword first, he didn't know.

"One false move, and you'll die," Hiko warned for the third time.

Kenshin stood stock still, so still he felt as if he was vibrating with the tension in his muscles.

Hiko rushed towards him, so quickly that even Kenshin's eyes couldn't focus. He felt nine slashes consecutively in the nine killing spots…but that was impossible! There is no defence that could stop all at once- this must be the succession technique!

"Karatake (head). Kesagiri (slantwise downward stroke to the shoulder), reverse Kesagiri. Right Nagi, left Nagi. Right upward cut, left upward cut. Sakakaze (upward stroke). And finally, the Tsuki. All killing techniques aim for one of these nine points. But this attack – the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu Kuzuryuusen – has no way of defence."

Kenshin stood in awe for a few seconds, mentally going through the move in his head.

"Now, you try."

"Eh?" Kenshin exclaimed.

Hiko scoffed. "Isn't that how I always taught you?"

Various memories of being attacked and then having to replicate the attack flashed through Kenshin's mind, and he sank his head. _It's a wonder I'm still alive… _he thought.

Kenshin concentrated, remembering the attack. Just because he couldn't defend doesn't mean that he didn't see it. Launching into the attack, he copied Hiko exactly.

Then, why did he end up on his back?

He looked up at Hiko, and the man seemed larger on the floor that he did when Kenshin stood. "I don't understand," Kenshin said, his violet orbs confused.

Hiko rolled his eyes. "Did you really think I was going to allow you to attack me? I blocked every one of your attacks and because of our differences in strength, I won."

Kenshin became dismayed. He finally learned the succession technique, and he couldn't even use it.

Hiko's laughter pulled him out of his spiral into depression. "Did you really think that _that _was the succession technique?" He laughed again. "The succession technique is the one that supersedes the Kuzuryuusen."

Kenshin gave him a puzzled look and Hiko gave him a smirk. "It's called the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki. It is the only thing that would defeat the Kuzuryuusen."

Kenshin stood and dusted his jeans. He then faced off Hiko, turning over the Kuzuryuusen in his mind. How could that be defeated?

Before he could consider it, he saw Hiko go into the starting pose and give him a serious look. "Now, let's see how well you could do, baka desshi."

-x-

Kaoru was furious with Misao. The girl had come and checked up on Kaoru after her hour in the bathing house was finished, and, seeing her sleeping, she had left her. But by doing this, Kaoru had missed giving Yahiko his meds.

That didn't mean that he didn't receive them; an employee of the Aoiya had administered them to him. It just meant she didn't get to check up on her baby brother.

Fuming, she sat next to Yahiko's unconscious body, hoping that Misao got the hint that she wanted to be _alone_. However, Misao got the message clearly, something Kaoru wasn't planning on. She thought Misao would come barging in, apologising, arguing – _something_ – but the green-eyed sprite never did.

So Kaoru went from being annoyed about not being bothered, to being annoyed about not being bothered- in a different sense. In a small part of Kaoru's mind, she _depended _on Misao's constant nagging and mothering. Her bad mood increased by the minute, until she was sure she was sending off black waves of malice.

Finally she stood up abruptly and marched out of the room- only to crash into the very person she was looking for. With a slight yelp, Misao dropped the tray of food she had in her hand. Kaoru immediately bent to help pick up the pieces of broken china, wanting to apologise, but a part of her insisted it was Misao's fault. She shoved that annoying voice of denial in her head away and gave Misao the pieces she had picked up. With a twinge of regret, she noticed that Misao had brought her, her favourite tea and the best chocolate chip cookies she had ever had.

"I'm sorry Kaoru, I wasn't looking where I was going," Misao said, a bright if rueful smile on her face.

Kaoru's guilt increased even more, and she opened her mouth to protest, but Misao cut her off again. "And I'm also so sorry for not waking you up, you really needed the sleep but I should have thought that you would have wanted to be with Yahiko, it was stupid of me, I'm going to get more tea and cookies, bye,"

Kaoru tried to get a word in edgewise, and even raised her hand to stop Misao from rushing out, but was too late. She let her hand fall to her side. Why was she always too late?

Too late to save Yahiko. Too late to apologise to Misao for something that was really her fault. Too late to realise Saitou was alive.

Too late to stop Kenshin from leaving her.

She curled up into herself and began to cry, silent tears falling down her cheeks. Always, too late.

-x-

Sano had been trying day in and day out to master the technique, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get it. Not once! And to make it worse, his right hand was bloodied and he had stopped feeling it half a day ago. the smart thing to do would be to stop using it and allow it to heal, but if he did that, he would die by the monk's hand. The thought of running away occurred to him, but he quickly dismissed it. That was dishonourable, and no-one would ever say that Sagara Sanosuke was dishonourable. He would never do something like that.

But it surely was tempting.

Exhausted, he finally collapsed on the floor, his mind wandering. He was too tired to continue. He tried to get up and demolish his practice stones, but his body will not comply with his demand. His vision began to swim, and he felt himself falling into unconsciousness. With sheer force of will, he didn't close his eyes. But that didn't mean that he didn't dream.

Captain Sagara Sozo walked towards him, his bandana blowing on a wind Sano couldn't feel. Sano was incredulous, but he was too tired to feel much more. A small, rational part of his mind insisted Captain Sagara was dead, but his senses told him that the man he had held in high esteem for his whole childhood was standing in front of him, now.

He couldn't make his mouth move to form words, but as usual, Captain Sagara knew what he was going to say. The man gave him a gentle smile. "No, I'm not real. I'm a figment of your subconscious, and you would probably forget this encounter when you regain consciousness." His beloved mentor's face became concerned. "Sanosuke, you're at your limit. You need to rest."

Sano opened his mouth to object, but the handsome man continued: "No buts. If you continue down this path for a moment more, you will kill yourself. Now, sleep."

Sano couldn't help but obey his Captain. He allowed his eyes to droop closed, and within seconds he was asleep. His mentor's apparition smiled at him, and gently touched his forehead. "You've made me proud, Sano." He whispered, as he slowly dissolved into the air.

-x-

Misao returned quickly, angry with herself for taking so long the first time and for spilling everything. She was still frazzled with her meeting with Aoshi-sama, unsure of how she felt. She had long accepted that he would probably never return her feelings, but that didn't mean that she had given up on him. It only meant that she was resigned to loving him without him returning her love, though she suspected when she got older and actually graduated from high school that she would make her intentions known.

But at her meeting, she felt as if there was something between them that was never there before. She didn't dare hope, but hope she did. Did he also harbour feelings for her? She knew that if he didn't care about her that way, he would have never brushed that tear from her cheek. Then again, he was her mentor and would have done that anyways…_because he still thinks of me as a child, _she thought glumly.

She sighed sadly and piled a new plate of cookies on the tray, making sure everything was perfectly balanced so it wouldn't fall off again.

She walked back to Yahiko's room at a statelier pace, and when she slid the door open she looked around for Kaoru. She felt something warm and soft at her foot, and before she could stop her momentum, she began to tumble over the thing. Determined to not spill everything again, she threw the tray into the air, executed a perfect roll and caught the tray…and everything that was on it. It had taken her years to perfect doing that, and hours of hard practice, but Misao was proud to say it was her best move. With a sigh of relif, she placed the tray on the floor, glanced quickly at the still sleeping Yahiko, and finally turned to see what she had tripped over.

Kaoru looked at her with a stricken expression on her face. Misao noticed with concern the tear tracks down Kaoru's tired face, but before she could say anything, the blue-eyed girl got up and ran out the door.

She cursed and got up to follow the fleeing girl. She hadn't gotten a chance to tell Kaoru all the happy news! As Kaoru reached the garden, Misao yanked on the girl's arm so hard that Kaoru began to tumble backwards. Misao's eyes opened wide but she couldn't stop their falling motion. With an _oomph_, the two girls ended up on the floor in a pile. Misao was tempted to laugh, but Kaoru buried her face into Misao's shirt and continued to cry. Misao didn't even bother ask what was wrong; either the older girl would say or she won't…even if her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"I'm such an idiot, I'm so sorry," Kaoru said, her voice muffled by Misao's deep blue shirt. Misao patted Kaoru's back comfortingly. "I'm always so late, and I can't seem to do anything right…"

Misao nodded wisely. "No, you can't. You screw everything up." Kaoru looked up, her blue eyes showing the depth of her hurt. Misao flashed her a bright smile. "But that's why you have me. To fix your screw-ups and help you get through them. Plus, how else could you learn without messing up?"

Kaoru's smile was slow in coming, but when it did, it morphed into a giggle. "What would I do without you?"

"Wallow in self-pity, and never find out anything. Like where Kenshin is."

Kaoru froze at that, then she gripped Misao's shirt tightly in her hands. Her face seemed almost crazed, she was so desperate. "You found out? When? How? Where is he?"

Misao pried Kaoru's hands from her shirt. "I did. Just now. Aoshi-sama told me," she said, answering all the questions and blushing at the mention of Aoshi. "And he's visiting some cranky potter who apparently used to be his teacher up in the mountains. And I've already organised to have someone take us there within the hour. Now who's your best friend?"

With a squeal, Kaoru wrapped her arms around Misao tightly.

-x-

Kenshin was tensed, ready for the attack. He would master this even if it cost him his life. However, the sound of a car pulling up into the gravel driveway distracted both Shishou and himself. With a frown, Hiko relaxed and walked to the front of the hut. "Who's there?" He yelled.

"Friends of Kenshin's." Kenshin froze at the voice. Damn, Misao found him! He began to look around for a hiding place. He was sure Shishou would distract the small girl long enough to allow him to get away.

"Please, sir, may we see him?" At the sound of her voice, Kenshin felt rooted to the spot. She was in Japan? In Kyoto? Since when? Why? Didn't she hate him?

"He's not here."

He had to speak to her. He had to see her. With all thoughts of hiding out of his head, he ran to the front. He was slightly breathless with shock, but the sight of her literally blew his breath away.

She didn't look much different, but he looked at her as if she was a glass of water and he was dying of thirst. Her bright blue eyes seemed to be rimmed with red and she looked haggard, but he still thought she was beautiful. He opened his mouth to say her name, but he found his mouth suddenly dry.

"Kenshin." Her voice was soft and her face seemed to collapse. Tears began falling down her cheeks, and she ran towards him, throwing her arms around his neck desperately. She buried her face into his neck, and he held her slim body to his tightly.

He didn't know how much leaving her had affected him until he held her like this. With a jolt, he realised that he did care if he died trying to learn the succession technique. How could he die and leave Kaoru?

* * *

Sorry for any mistakes, I sped wrote this and I don't have a beta (^_^;) Reviews are highly appreciated!


	9. Sad

Hey everyone.

I know you haven't heard from me in a long while, and a few of you may have been expecting this. (Or some of you saw the email that I updated and did a dorky dance - or at least, I do that when I see a story's been updated :P)

But, I'm putting this story on hold. I've really hit a dead end with it, and I really don't know if I can continue it. (It was probably a mistake to continue it as a sequel, anyways.) Whenever I write for it, I feel as if I'm forcing myself and it just doesn't come naturally any more. Trust me, this is very infuriating for me. I hate giving up on it, especially when I was so excited to start it in the first place...and especially with the ending of the last chapter.

I want to thank all of you for sticking with me and for supporting me. I am really, truly sorry for disappointing you like this. Maybe in the future I'll get working on it again, but I don't know. I'm really getting wrapped up in my original stories, and keeping up my fanfictions is beginning to get tiresome.

I assure you that if I get inspiration for this story again, you'd be hearing from me. But I think it's really unfair for you to be waiting like this for a story that probably won't be updated until I finish writing EverScript.

I really love each and every one of you, and you've inspired me to be a better writer. I'm sure I won't be this far without you guys! *hug*


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